CUSTOMS. CHARACTER. 435 



As soon as the iron in the receiver is cold, they take it out, 

 and break it to pieces with stones. These pieces the Hotten- 

 tots, as they have occasion, heat in other fires, and with stones 

 beat 'em out and shape 'em to weapons. They rarely make 

 anything else of iron." 



The Hottentot customs, some of which are extremely 

 curious, are fully described by Thunberg,* Kolben,-|- Cook,^: 

 Sparrman, and other travellers. Whether the Hottentots 

 can be said to have had any religion,] | depends upon the exact 

 meaning we attach to the word. Though they seem to have 

 had some notion of a Deity, even Kolben admits that they 

 had not "any institution of worship." The older writers, 

 indeed, consider certain dances as being religious ceremonies. 

 This was stoutly denied by the natives themselves,^]" in spite 

 of which Kolben assures us that they were " acts of religion," 

 adding candidly, "let the Hottentots say what they will." 

 They are very fond of smoking, and are great drunkards. It 

 is only fair to say that Kolben gives them a good character 

 for integrity, chastity, fidelity, and liberality, assuring us that 

 they " are certainly the most friendly, the most liberal, and 

 the most benevolent people to one another that ever appeared 

 upon earth."** Other travellers also speak of them in very 

 high terms.-|"f- At the same time it is difficult to see how 

 these statements can be reconciled with the admitted fact 

 that, as soon as any man or woman is so enfeebled by old 

 age that he or she is unable to work, and can "no longer" 

 I am quoting from Kolben himself "be of any manner of 



* 1. c. pp. 141, 142. Pinkerton's Voyages, vol. ii. p. 153 ; 



t Pp. 113, 115, 118, 121, 153, so also Harris,Wild Sports of Africa, 



252. p. 160; Sparrman, vol. i. p. 207. 



I Hawkesworth's Voyages, vol. IT Sparrman, vol. i. p. 212; Kol- 



iii. p. 791. ben, 1. c. 



Vol. i. p. 357. ** 1. c. p. 334. 



|| Thunberg, 1. c. p. 141, &c. ; tt See, for instance, Philips' 



Kolben, pp. 37, 93, &c. Beeckman South Africa, pp. 4, 5, 6. 

 thought they had no religion at all. 



2F2 



